Transcript What every developer should know about Microsoft

What every developer should
know about Microsoft
David Strom
Technology Editor VARBusiness
LI Java Users Group 2/04
Pogo once said…
General Patton once said
• “I have studied the enemy all my life. I
know exactly how he will react under any
given set of circumstances. And he hasn’t
the slightest idea of what I’m going to do.
So when the time comes, I’m going to
whip the hell out of him.” (From Forbes
magazine, 4/98)
Why Java developers should care
• It isn’t because they will ultimately write
.NET apps
• Or because they are going over to the dark
side
• Or because their apps will eventually run on
Windows
Here’s why
• Java’s success is closely tied to its
performance and behavior on Windows first
and foremost
• The best Java toolsets are also proven for
Windows developers
• Microsoft’s version of Java on more
desktops than anyone else’s
Why Microsoft Wins
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•
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It’s not because of better software
Or superior products
Or coincidence
Or getting a pass from the DoJ
Some Signs That Linux Has Bill
Gates Worried
• New numbering scheme. Instead of
Windows XP, it is now Windows
3.1.plXP.5.9.3
• Flowers sent to Janet Reno with a note
saying "What's a little anti-trust between
friends.” -- from Brian Lantz, 3/95
Planned Improvements at
MSNBC-TV
• CNBC will include a new section "Microsoft Upgrades Available This Week".
• New voice-over: "You're Watching MSNBC,
version 1.5, release F"
• All graphs showing the economy improving
should be done using Microsoft Excel.
Microsoft and software bugs
have a long history
Headline in PC Week (1986): “Microsoft is
Fixing Bugs in QuickBASIC [2.0]”
Headline this week in Bugnet:
“Front Page will erase your hard disk!”
What else was going on in 1986?
• 2400 bps internal modems from Hayes $800
• 80386 PC 18 Mhz clones with 512 k bytes
of RAM for $4500
• Microsoft selling Windows 1.03, Word 3.1
• 3Com's 3servers cost $6000 and came with
70 megabyte disks!
OS/2 Magazine (1990)
Things Gates probably wouldn’t
say today
• “640K ought to be enough for anybody." (1981)
• “If you don't know what you need Windows NT for,
you don't need it."
• "I believe OS/2 is destined to be the most important
operating system, and possibly program, of all time.”
• “There is nothing in this industry that Windows 3.0
isn’t going to change.” (1990)
Remember these technologies?
Loser
Digital Research DOS
Netware
Stac disk compression
Word Perfect
Spyglass Mosaic
Central Point utilities
Lotus 1-2-3
Winner
MS DOS
NT, WinServer 2003
Part of Windows
Word
IE
Part of Windows
Excel
Microsoft’s Internet timeline
• 1/93: NCSA Mosaic 1.0 released
• 4/94: Netscape founded, MS hold first Internet
meeting
• 9/94: Netscape 1.0 released
• 12/94: MS licenses Spyglass Mosaic for IE
• 11/95: IE 2.0 released
• 12/95: MS finally has Internet strategy
• 5/96: IE 3.0 released
• 10/97: IE 4.0 released
How they win: developer
relations!
“Office provides easy upsizing capability to
move from Excel to Access, from wizards
to Visual Basic programs. As trite as it
sounds, suites such as Office Professional
can empower the user and developer to
grow.” -- Kevin Boynton
Microsoft understands developers
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What tools they need
How they think
What sodas they drink
What snacks they eat
What games they need to play when not
coding
How they win (2): bundling
• Look what you can get for MS Small Biz
Server 2003:
–
–
–
–
Web Server
Database Server
Email Server
Etc.
My open standards scorecard
The REAL Standard
• Sun’s Java
• Apache
• Web browsers
• Tomcat, JSP, etc.
• SMTP
• Java DB solutions
The Microsoft Way
• Microsoft WinJava
• FrontPage and IIS
• Built-in to Win98
• .NET Framework
• Exchange
• ODBC
How they win (4): Everything
Windows
• What cross-platform really means to
Microsoft
• Eventually, everything becomes part of the
operating system
• Include interfaces initially for features
• Then extract performance
• Case in point: Java support. It just works
better.
Let’s review
• Superior technology and developer relations
• Bundling strategy for software and desktop
PCs
• Buys everyone in sight
• Better run company by the numbers
• Desktop OS monopolist
• Superior PR tactics